


I Promise

by Ellohcee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, F/M, Hurt, Injury, LadyNoir - Freeform, Mention of blood, One Shot, Post Reveal, Promise, Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 16:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13368750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellohcee/pseuds/Ellohcee
Summary: Chat has a close shave and Ladybug is rattled. Now Marinette can't forget the sight, and it takes falling apart in the bathroom for their secret to be broken.





	I Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Before you read: Warning for mild description of blood and physical injury.
> 
> Writing prompt #17 - "Promise"
> 
> This work can also be found on my tumblr [Here](https://ellohcee.tumblr.com/post/168318071563/alright-your-writing-is-amazing-and-im-a-complete)

“I’ll always be by your side.”

It’s a statement that sends chills up her spine, as if a cold hand trails spindle fingers across her skin to leave goosebumps in their wake. She wants to believe him, with all of her heart, because she’d like nothing more than to always face the road ahead with her partner. He is her strength, her pillar, and her sunshine. Ladybug can’t imagine life without him in it, his beautiful smile and ever present optimism.

But, as much as this promise fills her heart with joy, it also forms a pool of dread in her stomach. How can he know? How can he be so certain that he’ll always be there? Not that she expects him to ever desert her willingly. No, it’s his determination to protect her that scares Ladybug the most.

Chat Noir is always so immediate to throw himself in harms way, taking hits for her, being the distraction, drawing the danger and painting a giant target on his own chest. On one hand she loves him for how brave and selfless he is, but the way he acts it out terrifies her. Hawk Moth is learning from them, taking in every defeat with unbridled anger but also putting it to use. Every Akuma seems to get a little closer, land harder blows, give them more of a run for their money than the last. It’s a constant dance, a deadly waltz of push and pull, danger nipping their heels like a constant presence. And one day, she fears it will catch them, and he’ll throw himself in harms way like always.

Just last night she woke in a cold sweat from nightmares, haunted by the images in her sleep. It had been after a close call with that day’s Akuma. A barber, enraged by a greedy customer feigning discontent and smearing the name of his business, akumatized to become Close Shave. The transformed civilian wields a huge barber’s blade, sleek and sharp and blinding them by reflecting flashes of the midday sun.

Chat had a close shave indeed, blocking a swing that had been aimed for Ladybug by deflecting it with his staff. But it strayed far too close, grinding against the staff and sending a shower of sparks from the contact. The blade ended up catching his forearm along the way just before narrowly missing his face. Ladybug had screamed, pure, unbridled rage and fear, as blood seeped from the cut in his suit and ran down his arm, swinging her yo-yo out to wrap around the surprised Akuma.

After the fight, she stood trembling with fading adrenaline, clutching his hand in her own and making sure there was absolutely no trace of injury after the fix. “Really, I’m fine,” he tried to insist, but she merely glared down at his arm with tears in her eyes, bringing his feeble assurance to a halt. She wanted to yell at him, tell him that was stupid and reckless, but she couldn’t find the words as her throat was too tight. So she gave him a punch in the shoulder, then a tight hug, and ran off without a word, surely leaving him confused.

Later she tries to put it from her mind, to forget the sight of blood running down the leather of his suit, but it will not leave. She feels nauseous a few times imagining what could have been, how close he’d come to something much worse, and has to lie down more than once. That night her sleep is plagued by terrible images, of how things could have gone, and if her fix works on more serious injuries. In her dreams, it does not. In her dreams, he is lost.

These nightmares are the reason she slumps into her seat at school the next morning, tired and aching and a subtle sway to her body when she tries to sit still. Her friends know something is up, but she’s thankful she doesn’t look as terrible as she feels. “Marinette, are you okay?” Adrien asks, startling her out of nearly falling asleep moments after sitting down. Her body flinches upright, an all-over sensation akin to a jolt of electricity.

“Ah, y-yes, I’m fine,” she stutters, her heart beating rapidly. For once it’s not because Adrien’s talking to her, but for being jolted out of that near sleep state. She’s too tired to be nervous or embarrassed from those green eyes watching her, she just wants to set her head on the desk. Some hazy passing of time and the cool stinging of her forehead makes her realize she’s actually done it. They’ve given up talking to her, maybe assuming she’s fallen asleep in the few minutes before class. They’ll wake her when it’s time.

But suddenly her blood runs cold in her veins, because Alya’s going on about the Akuma attack yesterday and _oh there’s a news report about it._ Of course there would be, and of course Alya would be playing the video. She listens in an uncomfortable fog to the sounds of their fight, feeling herself dragging down into the depths of sleep. But somewhere in the haze of her exhausted mind she hears the sharp hiss of metal and Chat’s yell of pain that causes and immediate and violent churn of her stomach. Marinette stands abruptly and hurries out of the room, afraid she might be sick as she heads for the bathroom.

The exhaustion from running on a mere 3 hours of sleep opens the door for her full body reaction. When Alya finds her in the bathrooms, Marinette is pale and shaking, a cold sweat over her body like she’s just woken from one of those terrible nightmares. “Marinette, geez, are you okay? You look like you’re going to pass out!” Alya exclaims in worry, hovering over her where Marinette leans heavily over the porcelain sink.

“No, I can’t…” she trails off, another wave of nausea hitting her hard.

“I have to take you home, you look terrible,” Alya says softly. “Can you walk? Do you need a minute?”

She does, she absolutely does, so she nods stiffly. Alya looks worried, she’s never seen her friend so disheveled. “I’m going to go tell Bustier I’m walking you home, and I’ll get your bag, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Her hands tremble on the sink, and she wonders why this is affecting her so much, so strongly, as if her heart were about to break. Is it the lack of sleep making her overreact, or is it something much more? Her head spins just a little, and after several moments, she whispers into the vast silence of the bathroom. “You can’t be by my side if you keep putting yourself in danger, Chat,” she grumbles softly.

“And I can’t be by your side if you get hurt.”

Marinette’s head whips up so fast that everything spins, and she almost falls over before hands are suddenly under her arms, keeping her from hitting tile. That’s definitely not Alya, the hands are bigger, and she falls against a firm chest as her rescuer supports her. Her heart pounding in alarm, she trembles in their grasp because everything is still spinning so she has no idea who’s touching her.

“Woah there blondie, girls bathroom much? Thanks, but I’ll take it from here. You’re lucky you stopped her from kissing the floor, otherwise I’d beat your ass for being in here. Go on, shoo!” Alya berates the person, steering Marinette away from that comforting figure. Is that Chat? There’s no way he’s here…

But when Marinette’s vision clears and she peers over Alya’s shoulder, she sees Adrien there, and her heart nearly stops. There are so many emotions in his gaze, surprise, recognition, worry, love, that it sends a jolt through her body to realize it was him who’d startled her in the bathroom. And it was him who’d spoken those words.

He’s wide-eyed and almost out of her sight, and just before they round the corner, he mouths something that looks suspiciously like ‘it’s you.’

\- - - -

Later that night they meet up for patrol, Chat Noir ghosting across rooftops until he finds her, slowing to a halt. He stands hesitantly a few feet away before approaching, looking concerned. “Hey, you okay Bug?” he asks softly, peering at her from under wild bangs. “You look… um…”

“Terrible?” she groans, running a hand down her face. “Of course I do, I hardly slept. And today…” she trails off, as if questioning the reality of what happened in the bathroom. Was that really Adrien under the mask?

Chat blinks. “Why?”

“Why?” she repeats, incredulous. “Because of you!” she snaps, startling him. Normally she’d feel bad for causing that kicked kitten look on his face, but she’s too exhausted to care. All of her pent up worry and frustration she hadn’t verbally communicated yesterday swells like a flood. “Because you- jumped in front of me like that yesterday and got yourself hurt because of me- And the nightmares! I kept seeing- You- and the knife-”

She doesn’t realize she’s started to get worked up until Chat wraps his arms around her in a hug, trying to calm her down and rubbing a hand up and down her back. “Hey hey, it’s alright, I’m okay, you fixed me up!” he exclaims quietly, feeling her exhausted body start to slump in his embrace. He’s not sure if Ladybug is actually calming down or if that brief burst of angry energy is wearing off. Her arms raise up to weakly return the hug, and his chest tightens with worry. “Are you sure you should be out? Today in the bathroom…”

“So it was you,” she whispers in amazement. “I wasn’t sure if I had been hearing things, or I misunderstood…”

“Yeah, sorry I… after you ran out, you looked so sick, I walked in right as you said that and I just kind of blurted out… I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he rambles nervously, wary of disappointing her for ruining their shared anonymity.

“Don’t be,” she whispers softly, making him blink.

“Really?” he asks, surprised.

Ladybug nods weakly as he lowers them both to sit on the rooftop. “I… know it was bound to happen eventually, there’s no denying that. The only question was whether it would be an accident, or when it became safe,” she sighs, making his eyes light up at the implication. “But Chat… I… need you to promise me something.”

He leans forward, claws digging into the palms of his gloves in barely concealed glee. “Anything, My Lady.”

“Please, you can’t keep… trying to take all the hits for me,” she whispers, making his face fall. “Yesterday rattled me so badly, seeing you hurt like that because you were trying to protect me… I can take care of myself!” she suddenly exclaims hotly, making him lean back in surprise. “But also, I could never live with myself if something happened to you because of me. In the last 24 hours I’ve nearly had three full mental or physical breakdowns because your arm was gauged open. I’ll lose it if anything ever happens to you,” she admits softly.

Chat swallows against the lump in his throat, feeling the full force of his love and joy battling against the terrible feeling of upsetting her. “Well you know the same is true for me,” he says quietly.

“Then let’s compromise,” she demands. “Instead of you trying to take hits for me all the time, yank me out of the way! I can take hits Chat, so please, no more human shield! You promised to always be by my side, right? Then be by my side, not in front of me. You’re my partner and my friend, but you’re not my sacrificial lamb. Okay?” she pleads, taking one of his hands in her trembling grip and looking him dead in the eye.

Chat is struck silent by the expression on her face, her eyes trembling in so many emotions that he feels like he’s been sucked into a gale of hurricane winds. His heart skips a beat before coming back to a painful tempo in his chest. He’s not used to seeing her so desperate, pleading with him when she’s usually self-assured and confident. He wants to say it’s worth the risk if he can keep her safe, but seeing her so hurt and worried over him breaks his heart. How can he say no? He takes a slow breath, before carefully setting his free hand atop of hers. “Okay,” he finally relents, seeing the wash of relief flood through her instantly. “No more sacrificial lamb, for your peace of mind.”

“Thank you,” she sighs, leaning forward abruptly to hug him. “You stupid cat,” she grumbles in finality, making him laugh.

“My Lady,” he says in a sudden fit of joy, holding her tight against his chest. “I’m so glad it’s you,” he whispers into her hair, the pleasant swirl of emotion humming in his chest.

Ladybug smiles, and for the first time since she’d temporarily hated him, she’s not stuttering around Adrien. It’s hard to be nervous anymore because her ‘perfect’ dazzling crush is really a giant goofball in cat ears, and that thought makes her want to laugh. More importantly, he’s been one of the best friends she’s ever had and he’s secretly been at her side more than either of them realized. And that one makes her eternally grateful, seeping into her voice without restraint as she responds. “Me too.”

“You’re also glad that you’re you? Or you’re happy that I’m me?” Chat teases.

“Shut _up_ you dork,” she laughs, pushing him over.


End file.
